Table of contents for Goals: Where is Your Focus?

1. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 1
2. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 2

It is an important principle of success to focus more on your goal than the obstacles that come against you, or even the steps to achieve it. 

(This is Part 2 of a two part post in which we’ll cover quotes from historical figures on goal focus as well as how  focus affects your spiritual goals.  Part 1 of this post covered reasons, results, and benefits of focusing on your goal. If you missed Part 1 of this post, please click here to read Part 1 now.)

Famous literary authors have encouraged people through generations to “focus on the goal.”

Though Ralph Waldo Emerson is well-known for his quote, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” encouraging people to enjoy each day of life as opposed to only allowing oneself to enjoy achievements, he also promoted keeping one’s destination in view.

To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Orison Swett Marden, known for his philosophies on one’s thoughts influencing  life and circumstances, pointed out the determining factor in the success of focusing on the goal:

We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.  Orison Swett Marden

Instruction on one’s spiritual journey also involves a clear, constant focus on the goals.

This same principle should be added to your daily spiritual life. Do not settle for where you are. There are greater, unknown aspects waiting to be discovered with your spiritual life and communication levels with God. Grow and benefit by setting goals and keeping them in focus. Here are quotes from Scripture instructing you to approach spiritual life and growth like a runner in a race, free from distractions and hindrances, focused on the clear goal:

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. Phil 3:13-15

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly…so that I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Cor. 9:24-27

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Heb. 12:1

Believe that you will reach your goals – spiritually, financially, relationally, or otherwise. Then keep daily focus on those goals. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the trip or any apparent lack of progress, you can live effectively and experience greater joy knowing that each day is a day closer to your heart’s desire.

Table of contents for Goals: Where is Your Focus?

1. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 1
2. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 2

An important principle of success is staying more focused on the goal than the present obstacles or even the steps to reaching it.

I was reminded of this principle while working toward the completion of all the necessary seasonal responsibilities in my garden. I have quite extensive gardens with a large variety of plants, including over 30 antique rose bushes. Though I have always enjoyed gardening, this time of year’s seasonal requirements get very overwhelming as it takes about 3 months to complete due to other life responsibilities. The care and upkeep is probably too extensive for this time in life, but, when we designed and planted it 15 years ago, it was not possible to foresee the changes in career, family responsibilities, and physical energy that would take place in the future. It is a temptation to cause myself continual displeasure by solely viewing all the tasks yet undone rather than staying focused on the end result, or enjoying the present pleasures in my garden during the process of the oiling, fertilizing, pruning, and mulching to reach the goal; my garden will become a healthy, lush one that is a delight to the eyes and a joy to share with friends and family.

Here are some results of staying more focused on the end goal than the present obstacles or process:

1. You will maintain a level emotional state of joy and fulfillment, knowing the end of the process will come; you will live the fulfillment of that goal.

2. A clearer focus of your future goals/objectives allows you to be more effective in your present decisions with regard to the future goal.

3. You will maintain a higher energy level when focused daily on the final goal rather than the overall process to achieve it.

Many realms of practical life prove the benefit of staying focused on the goal or end result.

Life coaches, motivational speakers, and business instructors all tell us to “write out” the goals we want to achieve, write out the plan we envision, even the restoration that we need. Writing develops a clear mental picture of the desired end. In turn, this process enables one to notice relevant, beneficial opportunities related to the goal and make wiser decisions to reach the goal all due to staying daily focused on the end picture. It is the Law of Attraction in action.

The benefits of this principle of focusing on the goal flow into more aspects of one’s life than we are usually aware of – personal goals, financial goals, career changes, restoration – but even in the little things. Remember drivers’ education class? When teaching Interstate driving, they instruct you to focus on where the road meets the horizon; if, instead, you only look at the few cars in front of you or a short distance of the open road in front of you, your driving will be unsteady and erratic. You will weave back and forth unknowingly and overcompensate in decisions. It is the same in every aspect of one’s life. Staying focused on the goal will keep you from being unsteady and erratic, wavering from the desired goal, and overcompensating in decisions.

(This is Part 1 of a two part post.  In Part 2, we will cover quotes from historical figures on goal focus as well as how  focus affects your spiritual goals.)

I recently read a very valuable article which covered many essential aspects of rebuilding your life to be the healthy, effective life that you desire to live. Kim Child’s article featured quotes from 3 life coach experts, footnoted below, to explain how to make lasting changes for a life that you will love. She discovered most effective life makeovers involve starting with (a) small steps, (b) setting boundaries, and (c) reaching out for support. Here are excerpts from the main points in Ms. Child’s article:

First, look at what is already working well in your life.

Even when a person feels like everything in his life must be changed, usually there are some things that are working well which should be noted and appreciated. Life coach Victoria Moran suggests to list 10 things for which you are grateful about in your life each morning before getting out of bed.(1)

Second, take time for prayer, meditation, and/or journaling before the day’s agenda begins.

This is essential to craft a health lifestyle and stay centered [on what is healthful, best, and important] in the midst of change.(1)

Third, it is importance to focus on a daily plan of nutrition and exercise.

Moran refers to this as “taking care of the vehicle,” saying, “Regardless of what you want in life, you have to get it in this physical body…You’re not going to have a very good shot at changing your attitude and thinking positive thoughts if those thoughts have to be filtered through a brain that is living on junk food and doesn’t have enough oxygen because you don’t exercise.(1)

Fourth, once one has begun to make positive changes, he needs to clean up the environment in which the old, self-destructive habits flourished.

Ms. Childs next refers to life coach Cheryl Richardson for input on how people pleasers have to start saying “No” and setting boundaries where boundaries did not exist before. Ms. Richardson says that as people learn to practice taking better care of themselves, former habits in relationships need to change. “In order to live a high-quality life – a life that truly honors your self-care — you have to master the art of disappointing people, making them angry or hurting their feelings.” Avoiding the discomfort of displeasing others results in “living for others, becoming resentful or even sick, and struggling with relationships when resentments build.” Richardson advises people to think ahead of time of a response that is truthful, respectful, but direct enough to communicate that you are saying “No.”(2)  [This is similar to the chapter from Cloud and Townsend's "Boundaries" in which says it is often necessary to hurt people to do what is right and healthy for you; this does not "harm" the person, even though it may hurt their feelings. This realization helps you implement such changes. Click here to read the post, When is Pain Good? ]

Fifth, starting over with re-making one’s life means setting boundaries for yourself, too, by changing areas that are messy, neglected, or out of balance.

Home and work environments need to be de-cluttered to “honor your deepest need for things like joy, beauty, rest, creative expression, and peace.” Investing in these basic needs first will then allow one to focus successfully on areas such as financial debt and poor relationships. An uncluttered home is soul nourishing and an investment in your financial health. With relationships that are “one way streets, you need to focus on telling the truth in your relationships and letting toxic people go.”(2)

Sixth, create a circle of support to practice self-care and stay on track as your true dreams and desires become more apparent.

This is especially necessary when family members or friends do not understand or appreciate one’s new ways. Without support and accountability, old habits will slip back in, causing you to fall short of success. These support groups are essential to keep you from feeling that you have lost your mind when family and friends are lacking in understanding.(2)

Seventh, envision the life that you dream of having.

[As with the Law of Attraction, and even with the scriptural principle of visualization that God gave Abraham for his promised descendants, it is important to be able to visualize where your life needs to go. For more on this, read the post Visualizing Your Dreams.] As described by Bob Doyle in his program “Wealth Beyond Reason,” a person’s thoughts, emotions, and expectations shape their life experiences.”   Doyle also encourages a network of support, making the valid point that “It doesn’t matter how much you know intellectually about a particular thing, there’s always going to be somebody who sees you differently than you are able to see yourself.”(3)

Excerpts from “Fall in Love with Your Life,” Kim Childs, pp. 24-27, Natural Awakenings, February 2009 issue.

(1) Quotes from life coach Victoria Moran’s “Living a Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment and Meaning in Every Day.”
(2) Quotes from life coach Cheryl Richardson’s “The Art of Extreme Self-Care.”
(3) Quotes from Bob Doyle’s at BoundlessLiving.com

We each want a clear path to our destinies; do you succumb to discouragement and doubt when you are unable to see the full path, or when people and situations keep saying, “It won’t happen!”?

First, it is necessary to be clear about your destiny.

Know your life’s purpose. Along life’s journey to fulfill that destiny, you have a wide variety of needs or goals you desire to reach, such as better health, more successful relationships or communication, freedom from debt, or career changes. These goals are important steps in fulfilling your destiny and the person you are meant to be. To avoid being swayed by doubts or opposition, you must first “know that you know” in your heart what your purpose for being is.

Second, you must determine to believe in your destiny.

No one else can believe it for you – a spouse or a parent – if you are going to withstand disappointments or setbacks. If you believe that this certain path or accomplishment truly is your destiny, then keep in mind during setbacks or opposition that you will get there! It was meant to be; it was destined or planned before you were born.

In the spiritual realm, the truth is similar. In Psalm 139, God says that all of your days (and those of every other person) were planned out and written about before you lived a single day. You have a destiny. And, it is a matter of believing or of “faith” in God’s promises and His power to overcome obstacles or opposition to your destiny, as well as to provide wisdom and opportunities to fulfill the goals along the way. Because you know your destiny is His plan, because you have faith that He keeps His promise to help you, you are unwavering and unmovable in your journey to your destiny. Now back to our opening title.

Here are two illustrations on why you do not let what you see destroy what you believe with regard to your destiny.

Oxygen is necessary for your every breath, but you do not see it at all. You do not go around in a panic every moment of the day, fearing that you are going to suffocate, just because you do not have scientific proof in front of you that there is enough oxygen in the air to sustain your life. You go about your day in “faith” that all the oxygen you need and more is there to sustain you.

In the same way, though you may not see the full path to your destiny or see the results of the promises of God in your life yet, it does not mean that the path to your dreams is a product of your imagination; nor does it mean that the power of God is not working behind the scenes in your behalf just because you do not yet see the proof. Continue to go about your day in “faith,” listening for wisdom and looking for opportunities.

The next illustration is not my own. I read it in the book footnoted below, but it is such an incredible illustration that I wanted to share it with you. He says to picture watching a magician saw his assistant in half. You see the person’s head out one end of the box and her feet out of the other. You see the magician cut her in half and separate the boxes, yet her head and feet are still moving. You did not believe for a moment that she was really cut it half, even though you saw it with your own eyes. It appeared to be reality but you knew it was not. You could not explain it, but you still refused to believe what you saw with your own eyes. (1)

When it appears that you will not reach your destiny, that God has failed you, that He is not keeping His promises to help you — when you are tempted to put your faith in what you see – do not do it! You know your purpose! Be determined to believe in your destiny and refuse to believe your eyes if necessary.

1. Faith to Faith, April 29 post.

I came across a great article on overcoming a poverty mindset by fellow SelfGrowth.com author and business professional, Melissa Zollo. The points in this post are excerpts from a lengthy article. She is a secular author (not religious) but makes many valid points. Please use the link here or below to read Melissa’s full article.

A poverty state of mind will cause you to see, hear, think, feel, and act in alignment with lack.

The Law of Attraction states that your thoughts and feelings create a force field of energy that radiates out from you and draws back into your life people, things, and situations in tune with them. In other words, you become what you believe and feel to be true.

8 Choices You Can Make Today that Will Change Your Habits and Influence Your Life:

Since the direction of our lives is primarily determined by the choices we make each and every day, I am offering you a selection of choices you can make — choices that will assist you in walking the road … the fulfillment of your dreams.

1. Choose a new mental diet. One of the most powerful activities you will ever participate in is uplifting self-talk. Instead of talking about what you are afraid of or worried about, decide to consciously choose words that are consistent with your financial goals.

2. Choose to activate your imagination. [Imagination] assists you to reimage/refocus/rebuild/rethink/ receive!

3. Choose to focus on your dreams and empower yourself. This sounds simple but many people only wish to experience wealth and success. They rarely choose to change their money habits.

4. Choose to plant seeds of hope, happiness, and harmony. You can opt to treat yourself as a valued, accepted, appreciated person. Decide to plant seeds of high self-esteem no matter how others have treated you in the past or try to mistreat you now.

5. Choose to break one financial bad habit. Decide to tackle your debt, spending habits, or something associated with money and give yourself the right to succeed.

6. Choose to become balanced spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. Our lives work best when we feel balanced. Invest quality time re-training…

7. Choose to make time for fun and self-renewal.

8. Choose to spend quality time with those important people in your life. Heal those relationships that need mending — be they with your parents, siblings, significant other, beloved spouse, friends, or children. Choose to forgive and watch your energy, self-motivation, and enthusiasm soar.

The most powerful antidote to self-doubt is self-confidence.

Successful people have high levels of self-confidence. They have an attitude that they are unstoppable and will achieve their goals…Remind yourself daily that externals showing up in your life are effects; they are not causes. Decide to change your thought-seeds (causes) and you will change your harvest (effects).

Excerpts are from Are You a Prisoner of Poverty or a Producer of Wealth? by Melissa Zollo, imagination and self motivation author

When you fail to recognize your value as a unique person with a divine destiny that affects this world in ways that no one else ever can or will, it is easy to fall into the comparison game. I came across a great article by Norma Schmidt on this topic.  The points below are excerpts from her article.

Norma is an accomplished Ezine article author; her articles can be viewed on many Ezine sites across the Internet. Norma provides 5 guidelines to overcoming the temptation to compare your personal value to that of others and avoid the resulting envy, intimidation, and other negative feelings it produces. A link to her full article is footnoted below.

Whether comparing yourself is an extreme habit of yours, or an occasional one, we can all benefit from Norma’s points on Breaking Free from Comparisons:

1. Give Yourself More Credit.

This strategy is preventive. Look inside, and give yourself credit for your accomplishments and positive character traits… recognize the heart, intelligence, imagination and integrity you bring to living life your way.

2. Count Your Blessings

This is another preventive tactic to build your comparison “immunity.” Cultivating an awareness of all the blessings of your life can take the sting out of seeing how others are blessed

3. Exhale

When you notice that you’re comparing yourself to someone else, bring your attention to your breathing. Then, on an exhale, let the comparison leave … create space for serenity and perspective.

4. Recognize Losses

Maybe you’ve deferred or even given up hopes and dreams from earlier, simpler times in your life…take time to acknowledge these losses. Create a ritual… to give voice to your grief so that you can move forward.

5. Shift into a Perspective of Gratitude.

Practice this strategy by bringing to mind a “comparison trigger” from the past [Think of a specific person who frequently evoked negative comparison emotions. In contrast, now] Notice how relaxing and healing the perspective of gratitude feels.

Click this link to read Norma Schmidt’s full article, If Only I Could Stop Comparing Myself to Other People. Norma Schmidt is a parent of two and a former Lutheran minister. She offers workshops on parenting and on living with serious illness.

Each of us have areas of our lives in which we need desperately change as well as those in which we greatly desire to see change. It may be in our personal relationships, career, health, spiritual life, or even projected retirement investments. Too often our frustration goes on for years due to one of the main points in the post on Reaching Success, “You have to follow through with a plan.”

Wishful thinking, as opposed to vision casting, will only lead to continued disappointment.

To put an end to the disappointment of a lack of change, one must first vision cast (Create a mental image of the changes you want as well as put them in print.) and then act. Wishful thinking will not accomplish anything. Be aware of how dangerous to your fulfilled life are thoughts such as:

I’ll work in this goal when I have more money.
I’ll make these changes when I have more time.
I’ll focus on this need when I have fewer distractions.
I’ll start exercising or eating right next week.

Though none of us would consider ourselves insane, it is beneficial to remember Eistein’s Definition of Insanity, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

To do what you have always done each day, the same life patterns, the same activities, the same thoughts, only allow for wishful thinking which leads to continued disappointment. The power to your fulfilled life, the power for reaching your dreams and goals, the power to seeing the various needs met in your life originates from Change!

If you fear change, work on re-creating a true perspective that change is positive. Every living thing changes! If there is not any change, there is either stagnation or death! You must make a decision to start acting now. No more procrastinating for whatever reasons you have been using.

We each want to “live life” to the fullest, and “life” involves change. Change is good! The power to “live life” to its fullest starts with Change.

Table of contents for From Rejection to Self Esteem

1. From Rejection to Self Esteem Part 1
2. From Rejection to Self Esteem Part 2

In rejection recovery, realize that negative thoughts cannot be changed without replacing them with positive ones.

This is Part 2 of a 2 part post.  If you missed Part 1, please use the series link above to read it first as Part 1 covers the two initial steps for recovering from rejection.

To overcome the negativity that is overrunning your thought life as a result of the rejection, you must actively make yourself think on thoughts that will move you forward to the productive life you should be living. There are 3 main ways to replace thoughts of rejection.

1. Base your value on God’s value of you. With all the beauty that exists in creation, with all the billions of people, God still loves you and considers you precious and honored in His sight (Is. 43:4). Scripture describes that God saw your unformed body before you were born, already knew all the days of your life before it began, and that His thoughts of you outnumber the grains of sand–because He thinks so often about you. (Ps. 139:15-18) Throughout the up’s and down’s of life, it is essential that you base your value of yourself on the value God sees in you. This is the only way your value of yourself can remain constant. It cannot be based on people because people come and go in our lives, even if it is by death. Your value cannot be based on your career or other abilities because, one day, you will no longer be able to do those things.

2. Be your own cheerleader. This is a self-help tip that I’ve heard Joel Osteen say many times and it is worth repeating. Every day, get up in the morning and be your own cheerleader. Say good things about yourself to yourself! Speak to yourself about God’s value of you. Throughout the day, remind yourself of your value and your abilities. And, it doesn’t hurt to aim high. It is like the Law of Attraction. You speak those positive things to yourself even if you are not there yet so that you will eventually develop those qualities. Here is a sample list that I compiled from a couple of Joel’s broadcasts:

-I have unprecedented favor today.
-I have new opportunities for my career and personal life.
-God is in love with me.
-People like me.
-I am talented.
-I am creative.
-I am strong.
-I have excellence and determination.
-Whatever I do prospers and succeeds.

You can add to that list accomplishments which you desire that have not taken place yet, speaking them in present tense. Such as, “I have many loving people in my life. I am free from debt. I’m taking my dream vacation, etc.” As in the Law of Attraction, speaking positively to yourself about things that you desire to accomplish will make you more creative and more aware of opportunities to help you fulfill those goals.

3. Think repeatedly throughout day about those who do love you. Most of us have several people in our lives whom we value and who value us, even though it may be at varying levels of love. Even if you are temporarily in a stage where you think the only person who values you is your pet, think throughout the day about those who do love you or care about your well-being.

Move forward.

The past is never worth staying in. It is time to move forward. In addition to ways we’ve already mentioned, move forward by taking time in your schedule for people who do love or care about you. Maybe the person who rejected you was a former friend in whom you had invested a great deal of time. Move forward by spending time with those positive relationships that may have been neglected while you were focused on that other person, such as relatives, other friends, or even co-workers. Also move forward by accomplishing a project around the house or online course you put off doing due to time constraints from the past relationship. Or, do something for yourself you have always wanted to do, such as a certain vacation.

Finally, always encourage yourself with God’s unfailing, unchanging love for you.

People’s love may change, people may move in and out of your life, or they may reject you and never even give themselves the opportunity to get to know you. God, however, will never reject you. He says in John 6:37, “The person who comes to me I will never reject.” In James 4:8, He promises, “Come near to Me and I will come near to you.” In other words, God will be responsive to your desire to know Him and have a close relationship with Him. You can trust Him! His love for you will not fail you! “I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever (Ps. 52:8).”

(1) Click here to read the article on Determining Your Destiny which lists Creflo’s 8 steps to direct the course of your life to your goals and restoration.

Other Related Posts:
Handling the Fear of God’s Rejection

Hope for the Betrayed Heart

Table of contents for Divine Revelation

1. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 1
2. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 2

Why does divine revelation appear not to happen for you or others you know?

There are enough hoaxes and error in society to make a person question as to whether or not God really speaks to mankind.  Usually, it does not appear to happen to people we know.  (This is Part 2 of a 2 part post.  If you missed Part 1, please use the series link above to read Part 1 which covers why people not expect divine revelation and how Scripture says divine revelation comes. )  First, there is the point mentioned in Part 1 of this post, that if you did not realize that God speaks or reveals truths to mankind, you may have unintentionally “tuned out” the thoughts, not realizing that they were from God, thinking they were just random thoughts of your own.

Second, there is the aspect of expectation. In the very first quote of this post from Ps. 146:5, it says that the God of special revelation is the help of those whose hope or expectation is in God; in other words, a special revelation of help  comes to the person who is expecting it. This is in agreement with a main concept Jesus taught, that “According to your faith it will be done to you (Mt. 9:29).” As in the philosophy of the Law of Attraction, if you are not expecting something good, you will not be aware of the opportunities when they become available. In this case, if you are not expecting God to speak, you would not hear direction from God because your lack of expectation keeps you from listening for it.

How do people get off track with divine revelations?

Your mind can have many “voices” which sometimes can be distracting to the voice of God’s Spirit. It is similar to the term of when one’s “mind is racing.” All kinds of thoughts can run through your mind at once, some being your thoughts, others being the thoughts of family and friends, the voice of God’s Spirit, and even voices of evil.

First, remember that discernment is learned. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice (Jn.10:4). Just as an animal learns the voice of its master through the experience of communication, you learn God’s voice through the experience of communication during prayer and study of the scriptures, God’s written words.

Second, realize that, as God is perfect, He will not and cannot contradict Himself. What He speaks now will not contradict what He has already been spoken. Obviously, there has to be a standard greater than yourself as a guide. Scriptures say in 2 Cor. 10:12, “When they compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” That is why knowledge of the scriptures is key, so you compare what you hear in your spirit to what God has revealed about His character in the written Word. If thoughts in your mind contradict the character of God or His instructions for life, those thoughts are not the result of divine revelation.

Third, divine revelation will have positive, healing, restorative results. Let’s look a little more specifically at this point.

What are the results of divine revelation?

If the thought is not a divine revelation but off track, the results of acting on it will not be positive. These quotes are samples of what God says are the results of acting on divine revelation of God’s will and purposes for you:

Acquaint now yourself with Him, agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will, and be at peace; by that you shall prosper and great good shall come to you. Job 22:21

And all your spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children. Is.54:13

And know and understand His will and discerningly approve the better things and have a sense of what is vital.. Romans 2:18

I could put many more similar quotes here, but the point is clear that the results of divine revelation will bring peace, prosperity, great good, undisturbed composure, and a discernment of what is best and vital in life. These are results that are in line with the character of God as well as with His written Word.

Does divine revelation take place? Yes, it does. It is for the purpose of the Spirit of God communicating with your spirit. If you have never expected it, now is a good time to begin!  God desires for you to receive special revelations that bring you a happy, peaceful, blessed, fortunate, and enviable life!

Table of contents for Divine Revelation

1. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 1
2. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 2

The amount of error and/or hoaxes seen in society by all of us are enough to make one question whether or not God speaks to mankind.

Still, the complexity of life makes a person desire someone more powerful, more knowledgeable than himself to look to, interact with, and rely on. I came across a great quote last week regarding this:

Happy, blessed, fortunate, enviable is he who has the God of special revelation for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. (Ps.146:5, Amp)

It is quite fitting, as a person would be truly happy, blessed, fortunate, and to be envied if he or she has God Almighty providing special revelations of wisdom, insight, and direction to help him/her through life. The Hebrew word here for “hope” means expectation. Not many of us can say that we live in that state, whose “expectation is in the Lord his God of special revelation.”

Why do most people not expect divine revelation?

Other than the apparent faux pas or hoaxes that bring discredit to the concept of divine revelation, the idea I heard most quoted while growing up in religious circles was this one:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him… (1 Cor.2:9)

People use this quote as a form of religious tradition to say that God does not speak. This is one of those instances that prove how important it is to study the written Words of God for yourself and not go by what you hear. Notice the  three periods “…” at the end of the above quote. It is because this is a partial quote – only a part of the original sentence. People relying solely on religious “tradition” are unaware of the full sentence which goes on to say-

…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2:10)

The concept of us never knowing the plans of God or “will of God” for our lives sounds logical if one only know the first part of that sentence. It is helpful to refer here to another quote from Jn.10:27, which says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Why would Jesus say that those who seek God listen to His voice if God does not speak to mankind? Clearly, God Himself does say that He speaks to mankind of His plans and purposes for our lives.

How does divine revelation come?

We are not solely physical beings; we are physical beings in which live an eternal spirit created by God. The communication takes place between your spirit and God’s Spirit. God says,

The Spirit will announce and declare to you the things that are to come — that will happen in the future. He will honor and glorify Me; He will take, receive, draw upon what is Mine and will reveal, declare, disclose, transmit it to you. (Jn. 16:13,14 Amp) (*1)

The Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth. (Jn.16:13)

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (Jn. 14:26)

So, yes, God’s Spirit does communicate with your spirit. If you have never thought it possible before, you may have either tuned it out or not recognized it, thinking the ideas were just your own thoughts.

God’s Spirit does speak guidance and wisdom to mankind so that one can live an effective, fulfilling life. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Again, scriptures emphasize that the Spirit of God does teach you the will of God, i.e. His plans and purposes, for your life. God does also reveal spiritual truths or insights-

We pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep, and clear knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things. (Col. 1:9)

(This is Part 1 of a 2 Part Post.  In Part 2 we will continue with, “Why does divine revelation not appear to come to most people?” and “Where do people get off track?” )
(*1.  A note about the Amplified translation, one of my personal favorite translation to study.  In John 16:14, you see the phrase ” reveal, declare, disclose, transmit.”  These are 4 meanings of the original Greek word used in that quote.  The Amplified translation expands out main words from the original Hebrew and Greek texts to include all the meanings of the original word. Hence, “amplified.” )